March 2009

  • The Martini: A Cocktail for the Ages

    By msarko on 3/18/09 2:08am
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    In an old New Yorker article Roger Angell wrote a long and exhaustive bit of sophistry about the Martini and its place in American culture. In between name-dropping his stepfather, writer E.B. White, Angell went about tracing the cocktail's iconic stature from its early dominance in the 1950's, to its evolution into the preferred after-work drink of the newly minted suburbanite, to its re-emergence as the drink of the social elite in the 1980's. Angell's article is thought provoking, if not a little ham-fisted in its evocation of cultural stereotypes. The problem is that he never takes the time to ask exactly why this cocktail above all others has such a reputation.

    The Martini is one of the oldest cocktails in the world. As such, its exact origin is clouded in as much apocrypha as fact. Like so many drinks it has a variety of tall tales associated with its creation, all involving one remarkable individual, a traveler, or an unassuming saloon.

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  • Cream Drinks

    By msarko on 3/3/09 7:09pm
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    Sometimes we get so used to ordering our favorite drinks that we forget they're actually treats. An easy way to remind ourselves of what a nice departure from normal the cocktail can be is to embrace the richness of a good cream drink. By combining the smooth texture and versatility of cream with the potent flavors of spirits and mixers, these cocktails are the grown-up equivalent of a rally around the ice cream truck.

    White Russian

    Without a doubt the most commonly ordered cream drink at any bar (and likely the most common home-made) is the White Russian. We'll take this opportunity to talk about the proper way to build any cream drink. As is the rule for all cocktails, the heaviest elements go on top. In this case, that means starting with an ounce of vodka.

    There's some debate about whether or not cream drinks should be shaken instead of built in the glass. Personally, I don't see why anyone who cares about flavor would build in the glass. No amount of stirring is going to combine the flavors of your drink like a few stout shakes.

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